🧠Arteta Follows Guardiola’s Bernabéu Blueprint – Will It Backfire Like Before?
As Real Madrid prepare for their second-leg clash with Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final, Mikel Arteta is drawing inspiration from his mentor, Pep Guardiola — in more ways than one.
Following a dominant 3-0 win at the Emirates, Arsenal have chosen not to train at the Santiago Bernabéu ahead of the return leg. Instead, they will remain in London for their final session before flying directly to Madrid for the press conference and overnight stay.
It’s a move straight from Guardiola’s playbook. The Manchester City boss famously did the same in his last visit to the Spanish capital — only to see his side dismantled 3-1 by a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick that sealed Real Madrid’s emphatic 6-2 aggregate win.
“I spoke to Pep recently to ask for advice. It’s important to learn from the best,” Arteta admitted. “We know what kind of match we played in London, but we’re also fully aware of the challenge that awaits us in Madrid.”
⚽ Why Avoid Training at the Bernabéu?
Several theories float around:
- 🎯 Avoid pre-match distractions
- 🧳 Reduce unnecessary travel fatigue
- 🍀 Maintain pre-game rituals or superstitions
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have always opted to train at their home ground to “feel the pitch,” reduce surprises, and take in the energy of the arena — something they hope to weaponize against the Gunners in this critical clash.
Even Guardiola, after losing in the same scenario, noted:
“The stadium is spectacular, but the grass… it needs work. It used to be like a carpet, but not anymore.”
Will history repeat itself? Arsenal hope their Bernabéu strategy won’t suffer the same fate as Guardiola’s City.
